1. make the
direct object into the subject,
2. add the
"be" auxiliary and the -en ending to the main verb, and
3. place the original doer of
the action into a prepositional phrase beginning with by.

Examples

NOTE: Do not change verb
tense when transforming sentences from active to passive.

ate = was eaten gave = was
given consider = is considered
made = was made

2. Transform to the expletive there is / there are

This transformation requires using a
sentence with a verb of being as the main verb.
The sentence pattern must be

NP1 + V-be +
ADV/TP. A fly is on the wall.
Two dogs were at the park.

To create the transformation,

1.
place there at the beginning of the sentence and
2. reverse positions of
the subject and verb.

Examples

NOTE: Do not change verb
tense when creating the there is / there are transformation.

is = there is were = there were

3. Transform to cleft

This transformation allows the writer
to emphasize a the sentence subject or object.

This transformation may be used with
any of the sentence patterns.

There are two ways to create this transformation.

Method #1 1. Begin
the sentence with It and the appropriate number and tense of the
verb of being,
2. focus on either the
subject or direct object, and
3. create a second half
for the sentence that begins with who, whom, or that.

Examples

In the above
example, the first cleft transformation emphasizes the subject, dog, using three
words to refer to the dog: it, dog, and that.
The second cleft transformation
emphasizes the direct object, bone, using three words to refer to the bone: it,bone, and that.

In the
above example, the first cleft transformation emphasizes the direct
object, Joe, using three
words to refer to Joe: it, Joe, and whom.
The second cleft transformation
emphasizes the subject we, using three words to refer to us it,we,
and who.

Method #2 1. Begin
the sentence with What,
2. follow with the
subject and verb, and
3. insert the appropriate tense
of the verb of being and follow with the direct object.

Examples

In the above example, the cleft
transformation emphasizes the direct object, bone, using two words
to refer to bone: what and bone.

This cleft transformation
emphasizes the direct object, ring, , using two words to refer to the
ring: what and ring.

NOTE: Do not change verb
tense when creating the cleft transformation.

PAST TENSE:
The dogatethe bone.
It was
the dog who ate the bone.
It was
the bone that the dogate.
What the dog ate
wasthe bone.